CANANDAIGUA — With a roomful of residents attending Tuesday's Ordinance Committee meeting and passionately discussing problems with Main Street crosswalks, new ideas were added to the safety mix.

Problems have piled up downtown with vehicle-pedestrian accidents, fender-bender crashes and a tragic death in September at a South Main Street crossing. Assistant City Manager Bryan White said solar-powered lights — similar to the signs near the Wood Library crossing — along with “LOOK” stencils on the pavement will be added this month. Still, residents, along with City Council members, stressed the importance of implementing additional safety measures.

Councilmember Maria Bucci advocated for an increase in downtown traffic lights. The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) is the agency that approves any changes. As a result, the addition of more traffic lights would be a long process, but one worth pursuing, Bucci said.

Bill Taylor, an at-large council member, recently spearheaded an active transportation policy that focused on making the city more friendly to bikers and pedestrians. One aspect of the ongoing plan is safety. As a result, Taylor has worked with the DOT — which he said can be a slow and frustrating process.

Some residents at the Oct. 15 meeting advocated for the removal of mid-block crosswalks and any non-signalized crossings.

“You're messing with fire,” said Robert Gusciora, of Thorndale Beach Road, about the crosswalks that stretch four lanes of traffic without a light. “You're trying to bend the laws of physics, and mother nature is very vindictive.”

Taylor responded, saying the medians are recommended by the state on four-lane highways.

Councilmember David Whitcomb had previously suggested the idea of removing the crosswalks at Commons Park and the one near Johnson-Kennedy Funeral Home on North Main Street. Council eventually voted down the idea, partially due to opposition from residents. Whitcomb said Tuesday night he received largely negative responses from that suggestion.

Other residents at the meeting voiced the need for more law enforcement at the crossings. Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb echoed that opinion during a phone interview Monday with the Daily Messenger. Kolb added — and many at Tuesday’s gathering agreed — that a large part of the problem is people not paying attention, texting, etc.

Canandaigua City Police Chief Jon Welch addressed this issue with council during a summer staffing discussion, and noted that personnel is not available to add patrols to Main Street.

Whitcomb noted there are other problems with the request to increase law enforcement: “Council doesn't have the legal authority to direct what the police does,” he said.

No decisions were made at the meeting, and the issue will continue to be a point of discussion in committee meetings, said Mayor Ellen Polimeni.